Sleep Apnea Mask Recall

[garym053]

Hi! This is OT but I know there are some on Arvee that suffer from Sleep Apnea, as I do,  and use CPAP's and masks. Respironic's has recalled some of their Comfort Gel masks sold in September due to lack of exhaust valve, meaning you rebreathe your own Carbon Dioxide, which lowers your Blood Oxygen levels.
See the article at http://www.newsday.com/news/health/wire/sns-ap-sleep-mask-recall,0,1975713.story?coll=sns-ap-health-headlines

Sllep well!

[brainpause]

...meaning you rebreathe your own Carbon Dioxide, which lowers your Blood Oxygen levels.

Thanks for the info, Gary.

This is more dangerous than it appears. It may lower your blood oxygen level, but even more dangerous is that you rebreathe the CO2. Here's a little physiology that is pretty interesting:

In a normal person, your drive to breathe is NOT your blood's oxygen level. Rather, it IS the CO2 level. So, as your body's CO2 sensors sense CO2, it tells your brain to breathe. Therefore, your brain keeps breathing, but if you "rebreathe" CO2, your blood becomes more acidotic because CO2 in the blood becomes H2CO3, or carbonic acid. And acidotic blood has a low affinity for oxygen. Plus, as CO2 levels increase, level of consciousness decreases (even if you are asleep).

So, if you "hyperventilate", you blow off TOO MUCH CO2, and your drive to breathe goes down. That's the reason, in hyperventilation, you breathe into a bag, to bring your CO2 levels to a more normal level.

As an aside, some people have lung disease called COPD (or other names). Nevermind what it stands for (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), but what it means. They are often times at home on O2. THEIR drive to breathe is NOT CO2 levels, but rather O2 levels! So, sometimes, on occasion, these folks get too much oxygen, and their drive to breathe goes down, and they stop! Occasionally a nurse or medic/emt is hesitant to increase a COPD patient's O2 for fear of making them stop breathing. But, for heaven's sake, if they are short of breath (abnormally), give them oxygen!

Just thought someone might find this interesting. I've always found that our drive to breathe being CO2 is very interesting, and that the body can actually "switch" to oxygen as the drive as also very interesting.

Larry

[garym053]

Thanks for the info! I didn't know that!
I've studied Sleep Apnea pretty extensively since being diagnosed last Winter, but never really got into the CO2 part of things!

[dee106]

i just checked ken's we are ok, thanks for sharing!

[angelsmom10]

Thanks for the info -- there does seem to be a lot of people around here with sleep apnea (me included) -- Maybe it's PU related :rolleyes:

[tlhdoc]

It isn't related at our house.  I don't have sleep apnea, but my DH the non-camper has it. He uses a Bi-pap machine, he needs an increased air pressure for both inhaling and exhaling.

[Civil_War_Buff]

Thanks for the info on the recall.  I am still being evaluated for SA, I have been through the "sleep-over" and they told me that I will have to return for a 7-hour mask study. Dr. appt. on Wednesday.  

My nephew died on November 30th at the young age of 33, and the cause was determined to be as a result of sleep apnea.  He knew he had a problem, but didn't pursue it with his doctor.

I cannot emphasize too much how important it is to get a proper diagnosis and treat sleep apnea as the life threatening condition that it is.

Also, sleep apnea (and the customary snoring associated) may be a bi-product of being overweight as well, so my new years resolution is to lose the 30 lbs. that middle age decided I could use. (I know, I blame middle age, but I love chocolate). Anyhow, I am blessed that my wife mentioned my periods of apnea at night, and I have a doctor who sees it as that dangerous condition that it is.

[Miss-Teri]

Thanks for the info, Gary.



Just thought someone might find this interesting. I've always found that our drive to breathe being CO2 is very interesting, and that the body can actually "switch" to oxygen as the drive as also very interesting.

Larry

Interesting stuff - thanks!  Neither DH nor I have sleep apnea, but I think the way our bodies work is fascinating.  Probably why I'm addicted to the health channel where I get to watch all the paramedic shows, surgeries, etc!

[Ab Diver]

Just thought someone might find this interesting. I've always found that our drive to breathe being CO2 is very interesting, and that the body can actually "switch" to oxygen as the drive as also very interesting.

VERY interesting, to say the least. While I knew the body's impetus to breath was/is CO2 bloodstream levels (breath-hold dive training), I had no idea it could switch to oxygen. My key interest here lies in hyperventilation and skin divers. Flushing CO2 prior to diving, then using up available O2 at depth, and a corresponding loss of any additional available O2 due to decreasing partial pressures on ascent, is the main danger to breath-hold (skin) divers. Having witnessed 2 drownings due to shallow-water blackout in spear-fishing contests, the dangers are very real indeed. Is there any way this *switch* could be "learned"? Or is this an automatic response from the body after prolonged periods of high O2 partial pressures and/or debilitating illness?
 
 
 
Ab Diver--- just wondering if this kind of information could be incorporated into safer dive instruction.
 
 
 
Anti-Fluff Disclaimer (AFD) and Obligatory On-topic Content Explanation (OOCE) --- *AFDOOCE*: skin diving is an activity popular with many pop-up campers, who also sleep in their pop-ups.... So there.
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[brainpause]

Is there any way this *switch* could be "learned"? Or is this an automatic response from the body after prolonged periods of high O2 partial pressures and/or debilitating illness?
 
 

I don't think this can be a learned response. COPD (and its associated "switch") is usually associated with long term heavy smokers, or people that have been exposed to heavy secondary smoke.

This is only my supposition, and not fact. However, I just seriously doubt that someone who wants to be "athletic" enough to be a diver would subject themselves to enough hypoxia/hypoxemia to make the switch.

Larry

[garym053]

I cannot emphasize too much how important it is to get a proper diagnosis and treat sleep apnea as the life threatening condition that it is.

I agree! I feel like I'm on a Soap Box about it, BUT if it saves someone it's worth it! My mother said it sounded like my breathing was stopping about 6 years ago or so, when my wife and I visited my folks in FL. Of course I ignored it, then for the past two or three years, my wife has been telling me I seemed to be falling asleep while driving! I told her she was imagining things, THEN last january I fell asleep and went off the Interstate, (Thank God no one was hurt!) I immediately made an appointment with my doctor! I was having Apnea events every 20 seconds during my sleep study!

Sleep Apnea IS a life threatening disorder that can kill in several ways! The two most common are: You suffer an Apnea event (breathing stopped) while sleeping and don't start breathing again, or you fall asleep while driving or operating equipment. It can also cause your heart to become enlarged, and lead to heart problems. I urge anyone who has any of the symptoms to get checked out!

As far as weight is concerned, most people who have SA are overweight, but (at least according to what I've read) losing weight is not a cure in MOST cases.

[Civil_War_Buff]

I went to my Dr. yesterday to review the sleep study results. It turns out that during the period of the study that I actually slept, I was experiencing an average of 3 episodes of apnea per hour.  The average length of time without breathing was 18 seconds, and the longest period was 33 seconds. They said that surgery was not indicated for me, and my Dr. said to avoid it if at all possible anyhow. Now I will schedule the 7 hour CPAP mask study and get this thing under control.

Again, I plead with all that even think they might have SA to get evaluated and take whatever steps are necessary to live a normal life.  If you snore (or been told you snore), if you are tired a lot of  time when you you know you should have energy, and if you find that your short term memory is really failing, these are great indicators that you might have SA.  If your SO says that you snore and stop, or gasp for air at times at night...take this very seriously and get evaluated.

I too will step off of the box now.

Take care everyone, there's a LOT more camping to be done.

[garym053]

Now I will schedule the 7 hour CPAP mask study and get this thing under control.

Good Luck with the CPAP Mask Test, Civil War Buff! I was diagnosed last January, and now, I wouldn't even try to sleep without my CPAP and Mask!
It takes some gettting used to and there are many different types of masks! My personal favorite is the Breeze, which uses nasal pillows. BUT it also took a month or more to get used to it! I move a lot at night and seem to get stuffed up as soon as it gets dark (anyone know why?) so the Breeze works on me with fewer leaks. I'd try as many masks as possible to choose which suits you best.
Please feel free to email me if you'd like to talk about it (That goes for anyone else as well!) I'm far from an expert, but always there to help.
Some other sources of info:
http://www.cpap.com
http://www.sleepapnea.org

[Civil_War_Buff]

Good Luck with the CPAP Mask Test, Civil War Buff! I was diagnosed last January, and now, I wouldn't even try to sleep without my CPAP and Mask!
It takes some gettting used to and there are many different types of masks! My personal favorite is the Breeze, which uses nasal pillows. BUT it also took a month or more to get used to it! I move a lot at night and seem to get stuffed up as soon as it gets dark (anyone know why?) so the Breeze works on me with fewer leaks. I'd try as many masks as possible to choose which suits you best.
Please feel free to email me if you'd like to talk about it (That goes for anyone else as well!) I'm far from an expert, but always there to help.
Some other sources of info:
http://www.cpap.com
http://www.sleepapnea.org

Hey Gary,  Do you have a humidifier on your cpap machine? I have read that many people take an antihistimine as well, but it is not recommended long term because of the addiction risk.  Anyhow, you may need to add a hudifier and see if it helps with your stuffiness. I was prescribed a humidifier with mine, but the RT said that she didn't recommend that either (so she didn't give it to me) because "men" are less likely to clean them daily as is required to fend off bacterial growth.  I use a couple shots of nasal saline before putting the mask on, and so far I am staying fairly clear.

What we will do for the want of sleep.

[garym053]

I was prescribed a humidifier with mine, but the RT said that she didn't recommend that either (so she didn't give it to me) because "men" are less likely to clean them daily as is required to fend off bacterial growth.

Hi! Please don't take offense, but if I was prescribed a humidifier (which I was and have, by the way) and my R/T wouldn't give it to me because there is a "chance" that being male I wouldn't clean it properly, I'd find a new R/T!
In conversations with various CPAP users and Customer Service technicians, I've found that very few actually clean any of the parts daily. A rep from one mask company told me that they figure if they put clean daily in the instructions, most people will clean it at least WEEKLY. If they put Weekly, they would risk having people clean it once a month!
AND the most often recommended procedure is to use a vinegar solution which is hardly an antiseptic! I use a solution called Control III, which is a germicide, once a week on everything, and wash the parts that touch my skin, nose, etc daily in baby shampoo. The mask is the only part that comes in contact with your face, exhaled breath and possibly body fluids. They don't travel up a 6 foot hose against the CPAP pressure and reside in the humidifier. They usually go out the vent in the mask OR (much to the dismay of some CPAP users on some boards) are simply inhaled with the next breath!
If you can get by without the humidifier, great! I know I wouldn't be able to. I think if the inside of your nose, throat, sinuses, etc feel the least bit irritated, then go back and insist on the humidifier.
Hope this helps you or anyone else reading it and doesn't offend you.